Writing a Business Letter
Overview of Letter Parts n Letterhead n Dateline n Letter Address n Salutation n Body n Complimentary Closing n Writer’s Name and Title n Reference Initials
Letterhead n The letter head is the heading at the top of a letter. n It usually consists of the name, address, telephone number and fax number of the company. n The letterhead can be typed out but it is usually printed on the company’s stationery
Return Address 2650 Jean Way West Jordan Utah 84084 Phone 1 801 569 9463 Fax 1 801 784 6734 If you do not have a letter head you must write your name, address and telephone number at the top of the page or above the inside address
Return address n Gayle Mc. Neal 2650 Jean Way West Jordan Utah 84084 Phone 1 801 569 9463 n September 15, 2005 n Xi’an International Studies University n n n
Date Line The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. n If your letter is completed over a number of days, use the date it was finished and mailed. n When writing to companies within the United States, use the American date format. (The United States-based convention formatting a date places the month before the day. For example: June 11, 2001. ) n
Date Line Cont. n n n If you are writing to England use the day/month/ year If you are writing to China use the year/month/day Depending which format you are using for your letter, either left justify the date or center it horizontally.
Inside Address The inside address is the recipient’s address. n It is always best to write to a specific individual at the firm to which you are writing. n If you do not have the person’s name, do some research by calling the company or speaking with employees from the company n
INSIDE ADDRESS Cont. Follow a woman’s preference in being addressed as: n Miss, Mrs. , or Ms. n n If you are unsure of a woman’s preference in being addressed, use Ms.
INSIDE ADDRESS Cont n If there is a possibility that the person to whom you are writing is a Dr. or has some other title, use that title. n Usually, people will not mind being addressed by a higher title than they actually possess.
INSIDE ADDRESS Cont For international addresses, type the name of the country in all-capital letters on the last line. n The inside address begins two lines below the date. n It should be left justified, no matter which format you are using. n
Salutation Use the same name as the inside address, including the personal title. n If you know the person and typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation (i. e. , Dear Lucy: ). n In all other cases, however, use the personal title and full name followed by a colon. n Leave one line blank after the salutation. n
Salutation Cont. n If you don’t know a reader’s gender, use a nonsexist salutation, such as "To Whom it May Concern. " n It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine gender. n For example, you might write Dear Chris Harmon:
Examples or Salutations Dear Personnel Director, n Dear Sir or Madam (use if you don't know who you are writing to) n Dear Mr. , Mrs. , Miss or Ms (use if you know who you are writing to. n VERY IMPORTANT use Ms for women unless asked to use Mrs. or Miss) n Dear Frank (use if the person is a close business contact or friend) n
Body Leave a blank line between each paragraph. n When writing a business letter, be careful to remember that conciseness is very important. n
Body (Cont. ) n n In the first paragraph, consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point. The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point. In the next few paragraphs, continue justification with background information and supporting details. The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type of action.
The Reference Give a reference for the reason you are writing n With reference to your advertisement in the Times, n your letter of 23 rd March, n your phone call today, n Thank you for your letter of March 5 th
The Reason for Writing n I am writing to enquire about n I am writing to apologize for n I am writing to confirm
Requesting n Could you possibly? n I would be grateful if you could Agreeing to Requests • I would be delighted to
Giving Bad News • Unfortunately • I am afraid that Enclosing Documents • I am enclosing • Please find enclosed • Enclosed you will find
Closing Remarks n Thank you for your help. n Please contact us again if we can help in any way. n If there any problems. n If you have any questions.
Reference to Future Contact n. I look forward to. . . nhearing from you soon. nmeeting you next Tuesday. nseeing you next Thursday.
Closing n One line after the last body paragraph. n Capitalize the first word only (i. e. , Thank you) n Leave three lines between the closing and the sender’s name for a signature. n Put your position if you would like to.
Closing (Cont. ) n If a colon follows the salutation, a comma should follow the closing n otherwise, there is no punctuation after the closing.
Finish The n Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to) n Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you're writing to) n Best wishes, n Best regards, (If the person is a close business contact or friend)
Typist Initials n Typist initials are used to indicate the person who typed the letter. GP/sm n PERSON WHO WROTE LETTER/ person who typed the letter n
Enclosures Notation n If you have enclosed any documents along with the letter, such as a resume, you indicate this simply by typing Enclosures one line below the closing. As an option, you may list the name of each document you are including in the envelope. For instance, if you have included many documents and need to insure that the recipient is aware of each document, it may be a good idea to list the names.
Copy Notation n If you are sending a copy of the letter to another person or company, include that information at the bottom of the page. n It should have the letters Cc in front of the information.
Postscript n The postscript is used to add an afterthought. n In sales letters, it is used mainly as added punch. n Use the initials PS before the message.
Overview of Letter Parts n Letterhead n Dateline n Letter Address n Salutation n Body n Complimentary Closing n Writer’s Name and Title n Reference Initials
Format n When writing business letters, you must pay special attention to the format and font used. n The most common layout of a business letter is known as block format. n Using this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
Format Cont. n Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. n the body of the letter is left justified and single-spaced. n the date and closing are in alignment in the center of the page.
PAGE SETUP n Leave a good margin on both sides (2 - 5 cm) and on top and bottom (3 -5 cm) n Use quality paper for both your letter and envelope n Use a good printer, preferably a laser printer, to achieve the best possible effect n Eliminate spelling and grammar errors
Additional Helps and Practice n If you need more help you may go to the following website. n On this website there are 591 different letters for you to read. n http: //www. 4 hb. com/letters/index. html
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